Mechanical manual-type wire twister



May21,1946.` WMORWS 2,400,769

MECHANICAL 'MANUAL-TYPE WIRE TWISTER 1 Filed Nov. .5, 1944 a 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I r11/rentar Wiliam farris Patented May 21, 1946MECHANICAL MANUAL-TYPE WIRE TWISTER William Morris, New Haven, Conn.Application November 3, 1944, Serial No. 561,815

(Cl. 14o-119) Claims.

This invention relates to a portable simple and expedientmanual-type'device for holding, feeding, and twistingythe ends of asafety tie wire such as is used in locking a castellated nuton acompanion bolt. i It is a matter of common knowledge that present daymodes of applying and twisting safety tie wires are attended with lossof time, inconveniences and highly laborious manual eiort. For instance,it is now common practice to insert and thread the end of a wire throughan aperture which is especially formed in the bolt-end inwardly of theusual castellated nut. Then, the wire-end is fashioned by hand into aloop with longitudinal stretches or portions of the loop lodged in theretaining notches in the nut. To say the least, this is not only adiicult and unhandy procedure to pursue but is time consuming as well,With these objections infmind, I have evolved and produced a simple andexpedient `mechanical device or implement for achieving the desired aim,the same being characterized by unusual simplicity in construction andreliability in operation and use. l

More specifically, in carrying out the principles of the invention, Ihave effected a practical and feasible structure characterized by' acylinder having a coasting, inner cylinder revoluble therein, thecylinders, concurrently, constituting a casing, and said casing servingas an enclosure for a wire-holding reel, the first-named cylinderhavingL a bearing, and the second-named cylindera hand crank, therebeing a rotatable wiretwistingunit in said bearing, and the handcrankequipped cylinder havingV geared connection therewith foradequately and satisfactorily operating the same.

Novelty is predicated upon the gear-driven, rotata'bly mountedwiretwisting unit or means, this being of a longitudinally `extensibleand adjustable type, and provided at its outer end with wireholding,looping and twisting means such as permits the desired results to beattained in a practicable manner. l Y

Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent from thefollowing description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.` l

In the drawings:` Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire holder andtwister constructed in accordance with the principles of the instantinvention.

Figure 2 is a somewhat enlarged sectional and elevational view, thisserving to bring out all of the details and their companionatestructural relationships.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure2, looking in the direction of the arrows. l

vFigures 4, 5 and 6 are similar cross sections taken on the planes ofthe lines 4-4, 5-5 and 6 6, respectively, of Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a transverse section on the plane of the line 1-1 of Figure2, looking toward the left, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a perspective View, on an enlarged scale, of the rotarymotion transmitting gear.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevational view detailing the wire-holdingand twisting head and showing the manner in which the wire is insertedand then twisted to hold the castellated -nut against accidentaldisplacement.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, itwill be seen that the cylindrical hollow case or casing' is denoted bythe numeral I0, this being of appropriate dimensions and materials, asare the other'parts:` As previously indicated, said `casing comprises anouter cylinder YI I, this having a concave-convex end I2 with a centralspindle I3 formed integral therewith and extending axially through andbeyond the left hand open end of the cylinder.

Reference being had to Figure 2, it will be observed that the left handend portion of said cylinder, as indicated at I4, is slightly enlarged,diametrically speaking. The central portion of the cylinder on one side*thereof is provided with an integral outstanding tubular extension I5which constitutes a bearing. A spool I6 is mounted for'rotatiorr on thespindle I3 and this is supplied with'wire I1 whereby to provide aconvenient supply and reel from which the free end of the wire is paidout `and used for successive looping and tying purposes. Fitted into theleft hand end of the cylinder II. is a complemental inner cylinder ofcup-like form denoted by ,the numeral I8, and this has its inner endscalloped, as indicated at I9, to forman annular gear. This cylinder I8is assembled and held in place by washers and clamping nuts 20, so thatit is conveniently removable to permit access to be had to the spool andwire. Also, this cylinder I8 is providedwith a hand crank IBa.

The wire-feeding, device is characterized by a pair of telescopicallyconnected tubular parts. part includes a cylindrical portion 2| which ismounted for rotation inthe bearing I5. That portion which extendsbeyondthe bearing is flatlooping and tying unit or The main or larger` tenedand converted into a tube of rectangular cross sectional form, asindicated at 22. A correspondingly-shaped rectangular extension tube 23is telescopically mounted in the outer end of the tube 22. Beforeconsidering the outer end construction, I would direct attention to thegear 24 provided on the inner end of the inner tube 2|. This gearcomprises (see Fig. 8) a pair of rings 25 and 26 fastened on the tubeand provided with circumferentially spaced marginal pins 21. Theseprovide the gear teeth and these teeth coact with the aforementionedgear teeth I9. Consequently, rotation of the cylinder I8 by way of thehand crank brings the gears I9 and 24 into play to rotate part 2l in itsbearing.

I next call attention to the wire-handling, looping and tying means onthe outer end of the extensible tube 23. This may be generally referredto as a looping and tying head 28. The head .is actually formed bysplitting the end of the tube and flattening the parts and fasteningsaid parts 29 together by a bolt or the like 30 (see Fig. 4). The parts29 will be conveniently referred to as plates, and it will be noted thatthe marginal edges thereof are flared outwardly, as at 3l, to providealternatively usable retention jaws 32 and 33, respectively. The platesinwardly of the jaws are formed with grooves defining passages 34 and 35for the free end portion 31 of the wire to be looped and tied. The freeend of the wire is fed down through the tube 2l and tube 23 and is thendeflected and fed out through an adapter hole 36 in the tube 23 adjacentthe head 28.

In practice the wire l1 or the Vfree end 31 thereof, is pulled downthrough and beyond the head 28, this by way ofthe outlet hole 35 (seeFig. 2). Enough of the wire is paid out by unreeling it from the reel toform therloop and twisted tie, as shown in Figure 9. A portion of thewire Yis lodged between the jaws 32 on one side of the head. Then thewire is threaded through the bolt 38. Then, the free end portion isfashioned into a loop and brought up and clamped between the jaws 33 onthe opposite side of the head, thereV being a retaining hook 39 on theYhead at this point to accommodate the free end of the wire and toassist in holding it in place during the loop forming and twistingoperation. With the wire thus properly clampedm it can be seen that byholding the cylinder Il inl one hand and operating the crank Ilia, inthe other hand, `the gearing comes into play, thus twisting the head andalso twisting the wire, as at 40. Once the twisting operation is thuscompleted, the wire is cut or clipped with a, suitable l tool orinstrument, and the operation is repeated.

Novelty is predicated upon the intertting cylinders making up the casingfor the wire accommodation spool, this in conjunction with the handcrank attached to one of the cylindrical parts or sections of saidcasing to function, through appropriate operating connections, as a waysand means of imparting rotation to the wire feeding, looping, clampingand twisting unit. The latter unit itself, comprising the telescopicallyconnected rectangular hollow tube and Vthe special flattened head andclamping device on the outer end of the outer section or tube, providesan ingenious and adaptable structure for the purposes intended.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction withthe invention as illustrated in the drawings will enable thev reader Vtoobtain a clear understanding and impression of the' alleged features ofmerit and novelty suf- -cient to clarify the construction of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts maybe resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made fromthe invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A wire supply holder and reeling, loop-forming and twisting device ofthe class described comprising a casing embodying a relativelystationary cylindrical section, and -a second cylin- -drical sectiontelescoping and mounted for rotation therein, a hand crank carried bythe secondnamed section, a relatively fixed spindle carried by the firstsection, a wire lled spool mounted for rotation on said spindle andconfined in said casing, a wire feeding and guiding, loop-forming andtwisting unit, means for rotatably mounting same on said casing, and agearing connection between the inner end thereof and the adjacent innerend of said second-named casing section.

2. In a device of the class described, a portable cylindrical casingcomprising an outer relatively stationary cup-like cylindrical sectionclosed at one end and provided with a rigid axially disposed spindlerod, the outer end of the latter extending through and beyond the outerend of the section, a spool mounted on said spindle rod, a complementalcasing section comprising a cylindrical cup-like member fittedtelescopically in the adjacent open end of said first-named section androtatable therein, said second section .being provided with a handcrank, the inner end portion of the wall thereof being serrated toprovide an annular motion-transmitting gear, said firstnamed sectionbeing provided with a centrally disposed laterally projecting tubularextension constituting a bearing, and a wire delivery and loop-formingunit including a tubular member mounted for rotation in said bearing,said tubular member projecting into the casing and having a gear on itsinner end, said first-named gear meshing therewith. f

3. A device of the class described comprising a wire spool-holdingcasing, and a wire-feeding, looping and twisting unit rotatably mountedon said casing, said unit comprising interconnected telescoping tubes,the outer end of the outer tube being fashioned into a wire-gripping,looping and twisting head, said head embodying opposed at plates havinglongitudinal wire-gripping jaws along opposite longitudinal edges,whereby to hold the free ends and adjacent portion of the wire to denethe loop and to thereafter twist the ends of the wire together in themanner and for the purposes described.

4. A wire-supply holder, reeling and loopforming and twisting device ofthe class described comprising an elongated sectional casing embodying arelatively stationary cylindrical main section, a second cylindricalsection telescoping and mounted for rotation therein, a hand crankconnected to the outer end of the second-named section for rotating itin relation to the iirst section, a wire-filled spool mounted forrotation in said easing, a wire-feeding, guiding loop-forming andtwisting unit, means rotatably mounting said unit on said casing in amanner to permit the wire to be fed from the spool and casing into andthrough said unit, and an operating connection between the inner end ofsaid second-named cylindrical section and the adjacent end of said unit,whereby said crank turns said second section and said unit for wirefeeding and twisting purposes,

5. A wire-supply holder, reeling loop-forming and twisting device of aportable hand-operated type comprising a casing embodying a pair ofrotatably connected sections, Vone section being provided with a lateraltubular extension constituting a bearing, a hand crank connected to theremaining section for rotating it in relation to the first-namedsection, a Wire-filled spool n mounted for rotation in said casing, a,wire-feeding, guiding and loop-forming and twisting unit, lo

said unit being of a. longitudinally extensible and retractible type andembodying an inner portion rotatably Vmounted in said bearing, andprovided at its outer end with a wire-looping and twisting head,together with an operating connection between the hand crank equippedsection of the casing and the adjacent inner end portion of said unit,whereby to turn the unit in the bearing by way of the hand crank.

WILLIAM MORRIS.

